Four Pistacia atlantica subspecies (atlantica, cabulica, kurdica and mutica): A review of their botany, ethnobotany, phytochemistry and pharmacology.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Pistacia atlantica (wild pistachio) belongs to the Anacardiaceae family, and growing from the Mediterranean basin to central Asia, especially in Iran, Turkey, Iraq and Saudi Arabia where it is extensively used in traditional medicine for a wide range of ailments related to relieving upper abdominal discomfort and pain, dyspepsia and peptic ulcer. OBJECTIVE: Despite the diverse biological activities of P. atlantica, there is no current review summarizing medicinal properties of its subspecies, including cabulica, kurdica and mutica. Thus, this paper aims to explore the current understanding of the chemical, pharmacological, and biochemical properties of the extracts and the main active constituents found in each subspecies of this plant. METHODS: Peer-reviewed articles, using "Pistacia atlantica" as search term (″all fields″), were retrieved from Scifinder, Pubmed, Science direct, Wiley, Springer, ACS, Scielo, Web of Science and other web search instruments (Google Scholar, Yahoo search). Papers published until July 2020 are considered. In addition, various books were consulted that contained botanical and ethnopharmacological information. The information provided in this review is based on peer-reviewed papers in English and French. RESULTS: Phytochemical studies have shown the presence of numerous valuable compounds, including volatile compounds, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, fatty acids, tocopherols and phytosterols. P. atlantica contains also minerals and trace elements, like iron, lead, copper, potassium, sodium and calcium; fatty acids, like oleic, linoleic, and palmitic acid; fat-soluble vitamins, such as α, ß, γ and δ tocopherols; phytosterols, like betasitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol and Δ5-avenasterol. Crude extracts and isolated compounds from P. atlantica show a wide range of pharmacological properties, such as antimicrobial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antinociceptive, wound healing, anticancer, cytotoxic, anticholinesterase, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, urease inhibition, antihypertension, nipple fissure healing, antileishmanial and antiplasmodial activities. However, there are no reports summarizing the P. atlantica bioactivity, its therapeutic value, and the roles played by each of the numerous phytoconstituents. CONCLUSION: Many traditional uses of P. atlantica and its subspecies have now been confirmed by pharmacologic research. Systematic phytochemical investigation of the P. atlantica subspecies and the pharmacological properties, especially the mechanisms of action and toxicology, to illustrate their ethnomedicinal use, to explore the therapeutic potential and support further health-care product development, will undoubtedly be the focus of further research. Therefore, detailed and extensive studies and clinical evaluation of P. atlantica subspecies should be carried out in future for the safety approval of therapeutic applications.

Defining a standardized methodology for the determination of the antioxidant capacity: case study of Pistacia atlantica leaves.

Antioxidant activity can be measured by a variety of methods, that include hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) and single electron transfer (ET) methods. Most of these techniques are spectrophotometric, and thus incapable of quantifying or indicting individual antioxidant compounds. Nowadays, the integration of chromatographic and chemometric approaches allows a high-throughput identification and activity prediction of herbal products. The ethyl acetate fraction from the aqueous-acetone extract of Pistacia atlantica leaves is frequently used for the isolation of antioxidants. In this study it is investigated for its antioxidant properties in order to define a potential methodology for the determination of the antioxidant capacity of herbal extracts (which need to be confirmed by future studies). The seven free radical assays evaluated can be divided into two groups depending on the oxidizing reagent. Three methods use stable, non-biological radicals, i.e. the diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, the azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assay, and the N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine (DMPD) assay, which have no direct physiological importance. Four methods work with biological radical producers, including superoxide anion (O2˙-), hydroxyl (˙OH), nitric oxide (NO˙) and peroxyl (ROO˙) are produced metabolically in living organisms, and thus direct information on an extract's protective action is obtained. Furthermore, the reducing power method by potassium ferricyanide (RPC), and the iron (ferrous) ion chelating activity also have been investigated. The antioxidant activities of the samples were measured according to the different methods and modelled as a function of the HPLC fingerprints using the partial least squares (PLS) technique. The regression coefficients of the models were studied to indicate the peaks potentially responsible for the antioxidant activity. From the combined results of the different PLS models, we recommend using the DPPH, RPC and ROO˙ assays, to evaluate the overall antioxidant capacity; in the case study of P. atlantica leaves.

Seasonal, gender and regional variations in total phenolic, flavonoid, and condensed tannins contents and in antioxidant properties from Pistacia atlantica ssp. leaves.

CONTEXT: The widespread use of Pistacia atlantica Desf. ssp. (Anacardiaceae) in traditional medicine can be partly attributed to the content of its secondary metabolites, in particular, the phenolic compounds. OBJECTIVE: The effects of harvest period, growing region and gender on the phenolic compounds, flavonoids and condensed tannins contents were studied, as well as on the antioxidant activities of P. atlantica leaves in order to provide a scientific basis for optimal collection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Leaves were collected monthly from April to October 2010 in two Algerian sites. The powdered leaves were used for preparing the ethyl acetate extract. Contents of total phenolics (TPC), flavonoids (FC) and condensed tannins (CTC) were determined spectrophotometrically. Antioxidant activity was evaluated through radical scavenging activity (RSA) of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (250 µM) and the reducing power capacity (RPC) determination by K3Fe(CN)6 (1%). RESULTS: The TPC was found to vary from 79 ± 13 to 259 ± 8 mg gallic acid equivalents/g of dry weight (DW) during the study period. The RSA and RPC varied between 262 ± 18 and 675 ± 21 mg Ascorbic Acid Equivalent (AAE)/g DW, and from 259 ± 16 to 983 ± 20 mg AAE/g DW, respectively. A seasonal pattern was observed consisting of a decrease in TPC content and RPC from spring to autumn. The FC, CTC and RSA did not show a seasonal pattern. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Our findings showed that secondary metabolite content and antioxidant activities of P. atlantica leaves were more influenced by harvest time and growing region than by gender.